OSLO, NORWAY — Construction on the world's first full-scale ship tunnel will soon get underway after the Norwegian government approved startup funds for the giant engineering project.<br /><br />The project — known as the Stad Ship Tunnel — is projected to cost around $350 million and will allow ships of up to 16,000 tonnes to navigate more safely through the notoriously stormy Stadhavet Sea.<br /><br />The tunnel itself will be 33 meters high and 36 meters wide, according to the Norwegian Coastal Administration.<br /><br />It will stretch 1.7 kilometers through the narrowest point of Norway's Stad Peninsula from Bergen to Alesund, allowing ships to bypass an area considered to be Norway's most dangerous shipping zone.<br /><br />The Norwegian Coastal Administration received an assignment letter from the Ministry of Transport and Communications, which gives a green light to start preparations for construction.<br /><br />If everything goes well, the tunnel will be complete in 2025 or 2026, the administration said in a press release from late last month.
